Chapter 4 - His Father's Real Test
At breakfast the next morning, Charles Rossi already knew.
He sat at the head of the table.
Adam entered first.
I followed with coffee.
Mateo arrived last.
Charles looked at all three of us.
“Interesting week.”
Nobody answered.
Charles stirred his coffee.
“My son suddenly passes an exam.”
Adam remained standing.
“Sit.”
“No.”
Charles looked up.
Adam placed the childhood evaluation on the table.
“You knew.”
Silence.
Charles glanced at the document.
“Yes.”
One word.
No apology.
Adam's hands curled.
“You knew I had dyslexia.”
“I knew a teacher thought you did.”
“You refused the evaluation.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Charles took a sip.
“Because Rossi men don't need excuses.”
Adam laughed once.
It sounded broken.
“You let me think I was stupid.”
“I made you fight.”
“You made me ashamed.”
Charles's expression hardened.
“And now you're stronger.”
“No.”
Adam stepped closer.
“I'm stronger because she helped me.”
Charles finally looked at me.
Really looked at me.
For the first time in sixteen years.
“Amara.”
My stomach tightened.
“So,” he said. “The furniture speaks.”
I set down the coffee pot.
“Apparently.”
Mateo almost smiled.
Charles didn't.
“You taught him?”
“Yes.”
“You found the accounting discrepancy?”
“Adam did.”
“You identified the printer mark?”
I hesitated.
“Yes.”
Charles leaned back.
“Remarkable.”
Adam moved slightly in front of me.
“Leave her out of this.”
Charles noticed.
That frightened me.
“You're protective of her.”
“She works here.”
“She's the maid's daughter.”
“My name is Amara.”
Charles's eyes moved toward me.
“I know your name.”
“Could've fooled me.”
Adam muttered, “Amara.”
“What? We're already in trouble.”
Mateo covered a laugh with a cough.
Charles stared at me.
Then something unexpected happened.
He smiled.
“Good.”
Adam frowned.
“Good?”
Charles opened a drawer and removed a folder.
“You found eleven million dollars.”
“You hid eleven million dollars.”
“I moved it.”
“For bribes?”
“For leverage.”
“That's supposed to make it better?”
“No.”
Charles pushed the folder toward Adam.
“These businesses, politicians, contractors, and officers built the old Rossi organization.”
Adam opened it.
Charles continued.
“I've spent six years trying to separate legitimate companies from the criminal operations my father created.”
Mateo stared at him.
“You told me we were expanding.”
“I lied.”
“You used my company.”
“Yes.”
Mateo's face darkened.
Charles looked at Adam.
“I needed to know whether either of you could think independently.”
Adam threw the folder back.
“So you humiliated me for years?”
“I needed a successor who survives pressure.”
“You created the pressure.”
“The world creates worse.”
Adam leaned across the table.
“You don't get to break your son and call it training.”
Charles's expression changed.
For the first time, he had no immediate answer.
Then a voice came from the doorway.
“Mr. Rossi?”
It was my mother.
She looked terrified.
Two security men stood behind her.
One held a laptop.
“We found something in Mrs. Bennett's room.”
My blood went cold.
The guard placed the laptop on the table.
On-screen were copies of financial files.
Charles looked at my mother.
“Explain.”
She shook her head.
“I've never seen those.”
The guard said, “They were transferred from this house to an outside account using her employee login.”
Adam looked at me.
I looked at Mateo.
Mateo whispered, “That's impossible.”
Charles's voice turned icy.
“Lock the gates.”
My mother grabbed my hand.
“Amara?”
Adam stepped forward.
“Nobody touches them.”
Charles stood.
“You don't give orders here.”
Adam faced his father.
May you like
“Then maybe it's time I did.”
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